Actually, Oslo was on the schedule for our 8th team retreat. Well, that was 2019. What came next we know and can actually already no longer hear: Covid-19.
As a fully-remote agency, the last three years did not bring any fundamental changes in our collaboration, but we did miss each other, despite daily Slack exchanges and weekly team zoom calls.
“We are a remote agency and every single one of us works outside our own office more or less often. During the last two years, our team retreat had been postponed several times due to Corona; now after our meeting, I realize how much I missed spending time with colleagues; if only to know what would make them happy at Secret Santa at Christmas. We don’t have a Daily Coffee meet-up or Fika (like the Swedes) with the team – so our offline meetings have become all the more important to me after all.”
Maren, our Head of Google Ads
Last fall, we hesitantly started planning our retreat. It should be easily accessible in case another Covid wave breaks over us. The destination of the 8th retreat should be Frankfurt. Conveniently located for our Wortspielers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
But it turned out differently. At our Christmas dinner at Cafe Boy in Zurich, we got a crazy idea: Mallorca. That’s where we want to go. Summer. Sun. Sunshine – and once again shoot great team and portrait photos with Boris Baldinger.
On Thursday evening we met for the first aperitif at 49 Steps in the harbor of Palma. Besides the best company, there were great views of the impressive yachts in the harbor and well mixed drinks. And yes, there are indeed 49 steps leading up to the bar. We checked it out for you.
Then we went to the Toque de Queda where delicious tapas were waiting for us. The Toque de Queda is a super cozy place that is a little hidden in the alleys of Palma. Not quite everyday tapas and a very friendly service have inspired us.
On Friday we started the day with a private yoga session. The perfect preparation for our walking food tour with Alvaro. Alvaro led us through the alleys of Santa Catalina, past the local market with the best food stalls, to Palma Cathedral and the narrow streets of the old town.
We wanted summer, sun, sunshine. And we were more than generously rewarded with 36 degrees Celsius. Excursions to cathedrals and churches have never been so popular at a retreat as in Palma.
We skipped the afternoon program of go-karting to prevent sunstroke. Part of the group then made themselves comfortable on the beach.
Maybe that’s one of the secret recipes of our popular retreats? Of course, besides good food and great company, it’s also free space. Everyone has the opportunity to join or leave certain activities. This way we create structures for those who want to and give space to those who handle their energy and capacities differently.
Everyone gathered again for dinner at Duke’s. Nobody misses out on good food and our retraites have a certain foodie reputation to defend.
A new team photo
A new team photo was long overdue. At this point a big thank you to our (house) photographer Boris Baldinger. With his calm and easygoing manner, he gets the best shots out of even the biggest photo muffle. The photo already graces our homepage.
The culinary highlight
For lunch we went to La Vieja de Jonay Hdez which was voted best restaurant by our team. Service, presentation, quality – La Vieja has it all. Its cuisine is characterized by classic Canarian dishes which are reinterpreted.
What would Mallorca be without…
That’s right, “Ballermann”. But one after the other. The conclusion of our 8th team retreat began quite comfortably on our Toni’s boat. At this point, a big thank you to you Toni for the many years of cooperation. Toni left our team after the retreat to become a member of the Wortspiel alumni.
After a walk on the beach of Arenal and a delicious dinner at Mola in the HYPE we went to the Ballermann.
Photos of the rest of the night are better left under lock and key.
It was great with you! Or as David said: “Simply terrific”. We are looking forward to the next team meeting – maybe in Frankfurt? Or Oslo? Who knows…
The best closing words come from our Senior Google Ads Manager Nadia:
“My first team retreat with Wortspiel was a unique experience for me. The event was characterized by deep conversations, creative ideas and numerous entertaining and heartfelt moments, which I still think back to with pleasure and on a regular basis.”
Jennifer Walter is COO, Creative Director and Chief Happiness Officer at Wortspiel. She studied communication sciences and sociology in Zürich and Cork. After working at several advertising agencies she became a brand and communication manager at an internationally operating Swiss SME.
